2nd + 3rd Day in Vang Vieng

We started the next day late as expected and took it easy and relaxed. Although I have been in several hostels that had a pool, I never used it. But in Vang Vieng it was different - we took advantage of the day and sunbathed, relaxed, played cards, and processed our hangover :) A little side note: I had brought a tube of sunscreen from home. However, due to my fair skin, I have to apply more sunscreen than others, so the tube quickly ran out and I had to buy a new one in Vang Vieng. I think it was the most expensive sunscreen in my whole life - a whopping 12€ for 50ml with SPF 30. But this is a normal price here, just according to the motto supply and demand. The Laotians avoid the sun, they drive with gloves and rain capes at 30 degrees so as not to get a tan, so only tourists buy sunscreen.

The day after, we spent more productively and rented two scooters. Our first stop was the Elephant Cave. Not particularly spectacular, it got its name from a shape in the cave that looks like an elephant. There were several Buddha statues in the cave, one of them lying down. In retrospect, I found out that the lying Buddha is not sleeping but is dying and leaving the world to enter Nirvana, the place described in Buddhism as a state of complete peace.

Since it was extremely hot that day, we were delighted with our next cave - it was much more exciting. We each got a helmet with a flashlight attached and then floated on a swim ring into the water. A rope was stretched at a reachable height, which we used to get into the cave and go all the way to the end. It was so dark that we were extremely grateful for our flashlight, and I was also glad for the company of my friend, as it was a bit scary ;) At times, the water level was so low that we slid on gravel or tried to slide and got stuck. We then stood up and continued walking. However, it was not that easy, as the ceiling was extremely low at this point, so we had to walk bent over. After about 40 minutes, we were back outside and cooled off in the water.

The area around the city of Vang Vieng is known for its many blue lagoons. The internet opinions differ when it comes to which one is the most beautiful. So we decided on the one that was closest and we found it so beautiful that we stayed there for the rest of the day. On the way home, we even got to see the sunset.